It is not that hard to decipher an Italian’s origin; take a look at their spread and you would know readily from which of the 20 Italian regions he/she hails from. Italian cuisine is extremely and distinctly regional. Even within the region, you can see subtleties and variations reflecting personal nuances that are influences of geography, from the mountains stretching across the north to the coasts in the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.

North Italy is surrounded by mountains, sea and dotted by lakes, so that its cuisine has an abundance of ingredients coming from all sources. Thus, the region features hearty, meaty (quail, rabbit or grouse) cuisine as well as delicate fish and other seafood. [Read more…]